Medical bandages frequently are manufactured and distributed in rolls. Examples of these medical bandage rolls are tubular gauze and layered splints. Tubular gauze bandages are cylindrical bandages used to cover body appendages such as fingers, arms, and legs. Layered splint bandages are used in orthopedic casting and typically harden after exposure to moisture. These medical bandage rolls are very frequently used in hospitals, clinics, and physician offices. The bandage rolls may be packaged in a specially sealed bag or pouch. Furthermore, some of these bandage rolls are delivered in a pouch that further includes a disposable outer cardboard container or dispenser. Other bandage roll dispensers are reusable, and accept a disposable packaged roll of tubular gauze or splint.
Current dispensers have an opening in the front of the dispenser. Typically, a free end of the bandage passes through the opening in the dispenser, and a similar such opening in the pouch. One disadvantage of dispensers with front openings is that the free end of the bandage material may retract back into the pouch. The protective pouch must have a large enough opening to gain access to the free end. This results in exposure of the entire roll to atmospheric moisture when the pouch is widely opened in order to again grasp the free end.
Another object of medical bandage dispensers is to attempt to keep moisture out of the bandage material. This is especially important when the bandage material is an orthopedic splint that is sensitive to moisture. U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,262 (von Bonin, et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,479 (Garwood, et al.) disclose an orthopedic splinting material, useful for orthopedic casting, and comprising a flexible fabric impregnated with a resin that hardens when exposed to water. This splinting material may be distributed as a bandage roll. Although an improvement over plaster of paris orthopedic splints which are heavy, and deteriorate if the patient gets the cast wet, moisture-curing resin splinting material does have a disadvantage. Whereas plaster of paris splints have a long shelf life, moisture-curing resin splints are extremely sensitive to the presence of any moisture. Even atmospheric moisture may activate the resin, hardening the stored splint material prior to use. Therefore this splinting material must be enclosed in moisture resistant packaging for storage until just prior to use. Once a package of such splinting bandage is opened, the entire roll must be used within a very short time to prevent premature curing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,970 (Parker, et al.) attempts to address the problem of moisture entering stored resin splint bandages by providing an outer container and having an elongate product dispensing sleeve which is moisture proof and has a sealable opening. The Parker '970 dispenser, however, has several disadvantages. It is difficult to securely seal the end of the dispensing sleeve after cutting off a portion of the splint for use. One disclosed method of sealing the sleeve includes resealable zipper seals. In practical use, though, it is difficult to determine when these types of “zip-lock” seals have been closed moisture-tight. Also disclosed in the Parker '970 patent is a tape used to provide a seal, but repeated opening and closing of the tape adhesive is likely to weaken the adhesive seal over repeated use. Also disclosed is a clamp that may be used to seal the dispensing sleeve after the dispenser sleeve is opened. However, the clamp is prone to be misplaced or lost. Finally, heat sealing is impractical in a busy clinical setting.
Applying the seal in all of the prior art methods disclosed requires that the splint bandage not be present at the very end of the dispenser sleeve. Sealing requires that the end of the dispenser sleeve not have any intervening bandage in order to effect the seal. The seal may be applied, and the splint bandage maintained in a waterproof condition, only after the bandage is pushed back into the dispensing sleeve. The need to push bandage back up the dispensing sleeve, in order to effect a seal, is a significant disadvantage to the prior art devices. This makes it extremely difficult to grasp the free end of the splint bandage during subsequent uses and leads to increased time to seal the package up after each use.